In Another Galaxy
by FlikFreak
Summary: Treasure Planet Crossover. Sora and the gang are in for it big time when getting lost lands them in an entirely different galaxy. It's not long before they find themselves dealing with pirates, legendary treasures, and of course...the heartless.
1. One Wrong Turn

Okay, so how about something different, guys? Don't ask me why I'm writing this. I don't know either.

**In Another Galaxy**

**By FlikFreak**

**Part One: One Wrong Turn**

* * *

The _Excalibur_ had been en route to Radiant Garden for a long while now. The warp drive was damaged from an escapade involving opening another gateway, so the group residing within was forced to fly back the old-fashioned way; and while Sora respected Donald's gummi ship driving skill, there was one very necessary thing that the duck didn't seem to have at the moment.

A sense of direction.

Sora sighed. "Let's face it, Donald. We're _lost_. L-o-s-t. Can't we pull out a map or something?"

"We're _not_ lost!" The mage insisted heatedly. "I know _exactly_ where we are!"

"Then where are we?" Sora asked dryly. When the duck didn't come up with a response, he sighed. "Thought so."

Goofy weaved his fingers together thoughtfully. "Gawrsh, Donald, shouldn't we at least call someone and ask if they know where we are?"

Donald rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Fine, you win. I'll contact Chip and Dale and see if they can bring up our location."

Grinning victoriously, Sora leaned back in his chair and glanced out the window. The normally vibrant sky was much darker now, but still beautiful. Here and there, colorful auroras streaked across the spatial void, stars dotting the black and creating a view unlike anything he could have ever hoped to see. Sora remembered first seeing it after leaving Traverse Town; he couldn't peel his eyes away from it. Sometimes, he caught himself feeling the same sensation again, and while sometimes he dismissed it as Roxas having his own 'kid-in-a-candy-shop moment' as he liked to call it, the view never ceased to awe him.

"Bad news," Donald announced suddenly. "I can't get a hold of Chip and Dale."

Sora swallowed. "That's not good, is it?" He said.

Donald shook his head. "No, it's not. It could either mean something's wrong with the communications system or we've gone into a different galaxy."

Goofy made a barely audible sound that was quite similar to a whimper. Sora winced. "I take it you've never done this before?"

"Nope," Goofy replied. "The King always talked about there being galaxies other than the one we've been running around in, but he never said anything about going to one. I guess we're the first."

"Meaning our navigation systems are absolutely worthless here," Donald added with a grumble. "The only thing we're really capable of doing for now is flying around until we find a place to land, and even then we only have so much fuel, plus there's no telling if there's a place to fill up again or even if anywhere here has sentient life…"

"So basically we're screwed unless we either get out of here or find somewhere to make a pit stop?" Sora offered.

"Basically," Donald said, nodding. "I think I can set up some sensors to detect any nearby planets that we can stop on, but even then we won't know it's safe until we actually land."

It didn't take a genius to know what that meant. There could be _anything_ out there, not just heartless and nobodies. Still, there was something about this place…wherever it was…that set him on edge. He had felt something similar whenever the keyblade sensed heartless or nobodies near; the goose bumps on his skin, the chill down his spine, the hairs on the back of his neck raising. Something wasn't right. His fingers tingled, ready to summon the keyblade at any given moment, but he clenched his hand into a fist and sternly kept his attention steady. If he saw any place to land before Donald did, he'd speak up. After all, a keyblade master was no good if he was stranded in outer space.

A sudden flurry of blips from one of the panels jerked Sora out of his trance. "What's that?" he asked.

Donald was on the case immediately. "We've got some other ships headed our way!" He cried. "I'm landing at the first port we can find!"

"Shouldn't we have picked up that scan earlier?!" Sora demanded as he buckled himself in.

"They came outta nowhere!" Donald insisted, eyes narrowed as he gave the steering wheel a death grip. "Hang on; it's gonna be a bumpy ride!"

Sora didn't need to be told twice. The _Excalibur_ swerved to the side, dodging a sudden barrage of lasers. He pushed himself upright. "Can't we activate the thrusters and get out of here faster?!"

A sharp jerk gave Sora his answer, and Donald immediately turned them on course. "Goofy, keep firing at those enemy ships and try to get them off our tail! Sora, go check on the engines! Hurry!"

With no objection, Sora unbuckled himself and made for the back of the ship. It was a rough ride, considering that Donald was having a hard time shaking the enemy off. Once he had made it to the engine room, Sora dodged several clouds of steam and rapidly made his way to where the main engine tanks were. His eyes widened at what he saw.

"How is it in there?" Goofy's voice echoed across the built-in PA system.

Sora gritted his teeth. "One of the high-speed thrusters got hit! I don't think we'll be able to speed out of here if we want to play it safe!"

"There's too many enemy ships!" Donald screamed. "Sora, we're going to have to make a break for it! Get back up here!"

"On my way!" Sora replied, abandoning his post in the engine room and heading for the stairs. A burst of flame erupted in front of him as one of the engines caught fire and he cried out, coughing and blinking as his eyes watered. Now hardly able to tell right from left, Sora felt around with his hands, beginning to choke as his lungs filled with smoke. Alarms went off and the sounds of spatial combat filled his ears even past the insulated walls, the roaring inferno growing.

The _Excalibur_ gave a sharp jerk to the side and Sora fell from where he had managed to stand, tumbling into the wall. He reached upward, holding onto what he thought was a handlebar, only to fall again and realize that it was actually the handle for the escape pod. Desperately, he stood and pounded on the door that closed behind him, searching for the inside handle. He found it, jerking on it rapidly, then cursed the safety features of the device. With one final pull, he braced one hand against the wall, hoping that this time the door would open. He almost hesitated when the wall felt abnormally smooth and …dome-shaped?

With horror, Sora realized that he had hit the 'launch' button, not the wall.

A strong jerk sent Sora tumbling through space, and through the only window he had, he could see the ground rushing up at him. Part of him was thankful that Donald and Goofy had managed to get to ground level, but being separated was never good news. Frantically, Sora searched for a way to slow his diagonal descent, only to find nothing. He was hardly able to brace himself as the escape pod crashed to the ground, skidding along the dirt and kicking up dust. In the commotion, Sora's head slammed into one of the metal walls and his vision blotted out into darkness.

* * *

Whew, what a way to begin, huh? I know it's kind of short, but I really hope you enjoyed it!


	2. Welcome To Montressor

Wow, someone's actually interested in this? :O Who woulda thought it...n.n Part two is here, enjoy!

**In Another Galaxy**

**By FlikFreak**

**Part Two: Welcome To Montressor**

* * *

Solar sailing. There was nothing else like it in the entire galaxy. Maybe that's why Jim Hawkins liked it so much. The wind was the best part: the sound of it in his ears, the feeling of it rushing past him…it was _everywhere_, and he loved it. Then there was the sound of the sails flapping, the brief sensation of weightlessness when he halted his ascent and began to fall downward, twisting himself into spins and twists before unfurling the sail again inches from the ground. He did not hesitate to let out a drawn-out whoop as he sped down the canyon.

Nothing like it. Nothing like it at all.

There was no one around at the old ore refinery that he usually visited; people only came to work on it once every blue moon, making it the perfect place to do some surfing all alone. It was a wonder that the police even bothered to tail him there, what with there being nothing worth value in the old place. Everything was always the same: old rusty pipes, a mill, the (probably) empty tanks and a few smaller constructs.

Upon looking downward, however, Jim saw something _very_ out of place.

There were scattered bits of metal, a few bits of shattered glass scattered around, and a nearly unrecognizable object that must have once functioned as a door. Among it all was the unconscious form of a boy roughly his age. The dirt nearby was displaced, with long slide marks and other shards of metal dotting the area.

Making the connection, Jim immediately slowed and landed near the boy. He was currently face-down, sprawled out awkwardly. Carefully, Jim turned the boy over, taking in his appearance much more carefully. Most of his outfit was black, with matching shoes and fingerless gloves. There were a few pouches strapped to his shorts, and a black, short-sleeved hooded jacket pulled on over a blue shirt. The boy even wore a silver crown pendant around his neck. His hair was a light brown, spiked in such a way that made Jim question the laws of gravity, and overall the strange boy was rather slim. There was soot in several places, a few bruises here and there, but otherwise he was still in one piece.

Jim quirked an eyebrow. _I wonder which planet he's from? He's obviously not from Montressor, judging by the way he dresses._

The boy shifted slightly, and Jim froze. So he was still alive. That was a relief, but it didn't explain what the crash was about. Biting his lip, he shook the boy. "Hey, you okay?"

For a moment, there was no response. Then, slowly, two vibrant blue eyes opened, squinting at first before opening a bit more. "Huh? Where…?"

"You okay?" Jim asked again, mainly for lack of anything better to ask.

The strange boy winced. "Y…Yeah. I think so…" He sat up, rubbing his head. "Geez…I thought we'd never…" A gasp. The boy shot to his feet and made for the pile of metal. "The escape pod! I crashed! The others, they…"

"There were others with you?" Jim said.

The boy nodded. "Yeah. I was checking the engines and I fell into the escape pod. We were being attacked by some enemy ship or…" He paused, rubbing his head sheepishly. "I'm not making any sense, am I?"

Jim blinked. _This kid must have flown here from somewhere else. I knew it. But where's he from? And who was attacking him?_

"Something wrong?"

"No," Jim replied, suddenly realizing he had gone quiet. "Nothing's wrong. I was just kinda…" He inhaled deeply, wondering how to explain himself. "I was just…well, I was surfing around here when I saw you on the ground. I thought you were dead at first."

The boy smiled lopsidedly. "Thanks. Who knows what could have happened while I was out…"

"Well, the police could have found you and taken you to the hospital," Jim offered.

"I guess," the boy replied, seeming skeptical that such a thing was the least of his worries. Then, without any preamble whatsoever, he offered his hand. "I'm Sora."

_Wow. He's straightforward._ Jim stared at the hand awkwardly for a moment before shrugging and shaking it. "I'm Jim. Jim Hawkins. I live at the Benbow Inn not far from here."

"Benbow?" Sora echoed, tilting his head. "Never heard of it."

"Not from around here, are you?" Jim asked. "You from Kinapis or something?"

Sora laughed nervously. "No. I'm actually…from really, really, _really_ far away. My friends and I kind of got lost when we were ambushed and we wound up here. They're probably somewhere near here, knowing their luck."

Jim couldn't help but feel suspicious about this boy. Even so, there was something…odd about him. _Well, I can't just leave him here._ With a sigh, he headed back for his solar surfer. "If you need a place to stay until you find your friends, I can take you back to the inn."

"Really?" Sora said. "You don't have to, I mean…well…"

But Jim shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't worry, it's fine. I can't say my mother will be too happy about the idea, but once I explain things she should be okay with it."

* * *

"James Pleiades Hawkins!"

_Then again, maybe not, _Jim thought, wincing. This wasn't exactly what he had anticipated. "Mom, I-"

"You'd better have a good explanation this time, young man!" The woman reprimanded. "You were supposed to be home an hour ago!"

"Should I leave?" Sora asked very quietly.

Sarah's tirade came to a halt upon Sora's question, and she gave the boy an odd look. After looking over, she returned her still-stern gaze to her son once more. "Jim, who is this?"

"This is Sora," Jim explained. "I was out surfing and I found him down by the old mining complex-"

And the tirade returned. "You went down _where_?!"

"Please don't be mad at him, ma'am!" Sora insisted, hands waving defensively. "He saved me!"

"Saved you?" Sarah questioned. "From what?"

Sora hesitated, rubbing his neck. "Well, um…monsters?"

Rolling his eyes, Jim intervened. "He was unconscious when I found him, Mom," he said quietly. "He probably hit his head or something."

Rubbing her eyes in exasperation, Sarah sighed. "Alright, fine. He needs somewhere to stay, right? I'll see if we have a room later on this evening."

Jim smiled thankfully. "Thanks, mom."

Sarah only sighed, giving her son a weak smile before turning to Sora. "Are you hungry? I can cook you something if you'd like. We don't have that much business today, anyway."

"If it's not too much trouble," Sora replied humbly, although Jim could clearly hear his stomach protesting.

With a warm smile, Sarah placed a hand on her hip. "Well, we've got bonzabeast stew, alponian chowder, powdered spheroids…" She paused at Sora's blank expression. "What's wrong?"

"He's not from Montressor, Mom," Jim explained, shaking his head.

Sarah nodded slowly in understanding. "Oh, I see. Well, I'll get something simple for you, how's that?"

Sora nodded eagerly, abandoning his previous modesty. "That'd be great, ma'am."

"Stew it is," the woman decided. "I'll get some for you in just a moment. Mrs. Dunwiddie wants another refill on her purp juice. Jim, would you mind coming with me for a moment?"

Jim blinked. "Um…sure. Be right back, Sora."

"No problem," The boy replied, waving cheerfully and seating himself at a small table near the window.

Sarah and Jim finally paused when they were in the kitchen. Immediately upon gaining their privacy, Sarah placed her hands on Jim's shoulders. "I never thought I'd see this day, Jim. You've just been so…_reserved_ up until now!"

"What day?" Jim asked. "What's going on?"

"You've finally made yourself a friend," His mother replied, pulling out a few fresh glasses and pouring them full of fresh purp juice. "You haven't had one since you were eight!"

_The day dad left,_ he thought, rolling his eyes. "Mom, we're _not_ friends. I found him knocked out on the ground. I couldn't just leave him there."

The woman shook her head as she heated the oven. "Well, you should at _least_ get to know him," she replied. "He'll be staying here for a while at any rate. If his parents don't show up for him soon, I'll be contacting the police for help."

Jim sighed and headed for the sink to occupy himself with some dishes.

* * *

Sora contented himself with staring out the window, wondering where his friends might have wandered off to. This place was obviously much different from the previous places he had been; everyone knew about other planets, and apparently they all coexisted closely with one another. If there was a keyhole here, it'd be nigh impossible to find, and he could only stay here for so long.

"Aren't you a bit young to be eating here, young man?"

Sora's gaze snapped up to see someone approaching his table. The man was quite well-dressed in what strongly resembled an old-fashioned scholar's uniform, although the rest of him resembled a canine rather than a human being. While this hardly shocked Sora, it still surprised him. "Oh…I guess so."

The man quirked an eyebrow and glanced at the empty seat. "May I?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Seating himself, the man straightened his glasses and gave Sora a worried look. "Well, it's certainly not rare to see boys your age wandering about, but I am curious. Where are your parents?"

Sora sighed and looked away. "I don't know," he replied. "I haven't seen them in two years."

"Oh," the man replied, wincing. "My apologies."

"No, it's okay. I'm sure they're fine." Sora smiled for good measure. "I'm only here until I meet up with some friends of mine."

The man nodded approvingly. "I take it you're staying with your friends, Mister…ah…"

_Oh, right. Forgot._ "I'm Sora," Sora replied, grinning.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mister Sora," the man said, smiling cheerfully. "I am Dr. Delbert Doppler. I've been a friend of the Hawkins family for several years."

"So you know Jim?" Sora asked.

Delbert chuckled. "And apparently you do as well. Jim certainly is an odd felon – fellow! Fellow…" He cleared his throat. "Might I ask how you know him?"

Sora sighed, deciding to abridge his story. "Long story short, I got separated from my group in the middle of nowhere and Jim found me. My friends weren't around, so he invited me to the inn until they show."

"That was certainly kind of him," Delbert observed. "Well, Sora, I do hope you find your friends. Ah, Sarah! You're looking splendid today!"

Jim's mother had emerged from the kitchen, smiling kindly at Delbert. "It's nice to see you too, Delbert," she said, a hint of exhaustion in her somehow jovial voice. She then turned to Sora, placing a glass of deep purple juice and a bowl of steaming hot stew in front of him. "All of the rooms are booked," she stated regretfully. "I'm sorry, Sora; if you stay, you'll have to share a room with Jim or someone else."

"My friends should be showing up sometime today," Sora assured her. "I wouldn't worry about it."

"If you say so," Sarah said, sighing. "Delbert, the usual? Alponian chowder, extra solara seed?"

"You always do it best," Delbert replied happily, hoping to lift the woman's spirits. He succeeded, and Sarah retreated back behind the kitchen doors with a smile.

* * *

In spite of his optimistic hopes, Sora's friends had not shown by evening. Jim had kept to himself, cleaning dishes and helping cook, so there wasn't really anyone to talk to other than Dr. Doppler. Thankfully the dog-like man was quite sociable, and kept Sora company for quite a while. When evening was just beginning to fall, the sun setting on the horizon, the already small crowd of customers began to thin, and Sora decided to take a walk around the area nearby after Sarah began searching for Jim.

"He's probably up on the cliffside again," she muttered. "Sora, if you find him, can you tell him to head on back? It's getting late."

"Sure thing, Mrs. Hawkins," Sora replied with a quick mock-salute.

Scaling the cliff wasn't hard for Sora; between his recently improved jumping abilities and a bit of gliding, it was rather simple. As suspected, Jim was on the cliff near the inn, working on what appeared to be a floating plank of metal. The moment Sora leapt up onto the top, Jim shot him a wary glance at first before softening. "Oh, it's you."

Sora grinned like he always did. "Hey. Your mom said she was looking for you."

Jim rolled his eyes. "It's not even sundown yet," he complained. "Whatever. I'm almost done anyway."

It was then that Sora got a better look at what Jim was working on, and he tilted his head. "Isn't that the thing you were carrying down in the gorge?"

"Yep," Jim replied, pushing himself underneath it and grabbing a wrench.

"What is it?"

"A Solar Surfer. Built it myself out of the scraps from the junkyard."

"Awesome," Sora breathed in awe. "My friends and I back home were building a raft once. We never got to use it, though."

"A raft, huh?" Jim said conversationally, though he was somewhat unimpressed. "How come you never used it?"

Sora bit his lip, remembering that night all too well. "A really bad storm came," he explained. "The raft probably isn't there anymore."

Jim pushed himself out from under his surfer. "You never checked?"

"It was the night I left," Sora replied. "After that storm, I…well, I had to leave home. There wasn't really a choice. I haven't been there for two years now."

"How come?"

Sora only shrugged. "I can't say, really."

Jim hesitated, giving Sora a long, suspicious and calculating look, then went back to his surfer and placed the wrench on the ground. He banged one of the buttons on the back, causing a large, glimmering sail to unfurl. Sora staggered back in surprise, not expecting such a development. "Whoa!"

"It took ages to find enough fabric," Jim said. Only then did Sora notice that the sail was in patches. "Mom got kind of suspicious when I…'borrowed' her sewing stuff, but I shook her off easy."

"You're a genius for being able to do this," Sora said, breathless. "How long did it take you?"

"A week," Jim replied calmly, retracting the sail. "I built my first one when I was eight. Took me ages then."

"I bet you can build anything if you really wanted to," Sora commented. "You gonna be a mechanic?"

Jim sighed hopefully, but didn't smile. "Maybe," he replied. "What about you?"

Sora hesitated, turning and staring at the sunset. Such a simple question…two years ago, he would have had an answer. But now… "I don't know," He replied. "I haven't been home in so long. I guess I never really thought about it."

"Isn't your mom worried about you?" Jim asked, lifting the surfer and beginning to head down the road.

Following, Sora shrugged. "I bet she is," he said vaguely, deciding not to delve into the fact that practically everyone else did as well, and there had probably been a memory lapse concerning him among every single person there. Stuff like that was sometimes better left unsaid.

"Why haven't you gone to see her?"

"Long story. Not something I think about much, honestly."

Jim looked disapproving, but left it alone. The two walked in silence, heading in the front door without a word. Jim went straight for the kitchen where his mother was possibly waiting while Sora took the window seat again, staring out the window.

_Still no sign of them,_ he thought. _Where are they?_

Delbert, whom had been reading nearby, glanced up from his book. "I take it your companions have not arrived yet?"

"No," Sora replied. "They'll be here soon…they always show up at some point or another. I'm getting a bit worried, though." He sat back, cupping his head in his hands. "Mrs. Hawkins is letting me stay with her until they show up, so at least I don't have to worry about finding a place to stay."

"Do you travel that often?" Delbert asked, looking quite surprised.

Sora laughed. "Like you wouldn't believe," he said. "Sometimes we had to settle for a tree or a cave somewhere. I can't remember the last time I've actually been in a bed."

Delbert set his book down. "You worry me, Sora. Don't you at least go to school?"

"Nope," Sora replied. "I'm not exactly in a position to be in school right now. I do miss it, though."

"Not everyone your age does," Delbert replied, chuckling. "Speaking of that…how old _are_ you?"

"Fourteen," Sora replied automatically before shaking his head. "Er, fifteen actually. I haven't looked in a calendar in ages, either."

The canine scholar gave Sora a look that clearly got across the fact that he was wondering if the boy had lost his mind. "Good heavens, son, where have you _been_?!"

"Looking for my friends," Sora stated, sighing. "I've got help – the people I'm travelling with – but even then it's not exactly smooth sailing, if you get my meaning."

Delbert nodded. "I take it it's not a subject you talk often about."

"Not really," Sora replied, although not bitterly at all. He smiled. "I just never think about it. After so long, it's just so normal to me that I never really wonder."

Funny, how two years ago something so 'normal' was like a dream for him.

* * *

Jim's room was nothing short of a mess. There were a few books on the shelves, the bed wasn't made, the pillow was on the floor for some reason, the open closet exposed hastily hung up shirts, several tools were scattered on the dresser and on certain parts of the hardwood floor and the rug was a mockery of itself. The floor had at least been swept, so Sora didn't have to worry about sleeping in dirt this time.

"You can take the bed if you want," Jim offered, though Sora could tell it was only out of forced politeness.

Sora shook his head. "That's okay. I'll take the floor; I'm used to it."

Although Jim seemed surprised, he shrugged it off. "There are blankets and a few extra pillows in the closet. Help yourself." And with that, he plopped onto his bed.

_He sure is straightforward,_ Sora noted as he made for the said closet, pulling out a thin blanket and a worn out pillow. _They must not have very much here. I guess slow business is…huh?_

There, in the corner of the closet, was an old book. Curiously, Sora pulled it out and dusted off the cover, unveiling the title: _The Loot Of A Thousand Worlds_. He blinked. "What's this?"

Glancing toward Sora, Jim caught sight of the book and immediately his face lit up in excitement. "That's one of my old books," he said. "I used to read it all the time when I was a kid."

Sora held up the artifact. It certainly looked old, but it was well-cared for. "May I?"

"Sure," Jim replied. "Come sit. I haven't opened it in a while."

Carefully, Sora opened the book, stunned at the sudden images leaping off of the pages and the soft voice that began to speak, but he kept his calm somehow as the story began.

_On the clearest of nights, when the winds of the Etherium were calm and peaceful, the great merchant ships with their cargoes of Arcturian sura crystals felt safe and secure. Little did they suspect that they were being pursued by pirates…and the most feared of all these pirates was the notorious Captain Nathaniel Flint._

The image of a vicious, intimidating pirate stood at the wheel of a ship, six eyes narrowed fiercely. He waved his hand at several other aliens aboard his ship. _"Fire!"_

Several cannons shot at a merchant vessel nearby, and though the crew fought back, the pirates continued to swing aboard.

_Like a Canadrian zap-wing overtaking it's prey, Flint and his band of renegades swooped in out of nowhere; and then, gathering up their spoils, vanished without a trace._

True to what the narrator had stated, Flint had gathered chests full of gold and jewels, and their ship left promptly, vanishing in a green light. Jim turned the page, revealing the image of a planet circled by two rings.

_Flint's secret trove was never found, but stories have persisted that it remains hidden, somewhere at the farthest reaches of the galaxy stowed with riches beyond imagination – the loot of a thousand worlds..._

Out of the corner of his eye, Sora could see Jim smile as he read aloud along with the narrator, "Treasure Planet…"

Later, after the two had finished reading, Sora settled down on his spot on the floor. "Do you believe it exists?"

"What exists?" Jim asked, his mood far more cheerful than it had been earlier that day.

"Treasure Planet."

Jim smiled widely. "Mom always told me it was just a legend, but I think it's real. It's only a matter of time before someone finds it."

"If you ever had the chance, would you go?" Sora asked.

"In a heartbeat," Jim replied, "But I don't think I ever will. That legend's been around for centuries and no one's even found so much as a single doubloon of it."

Sora stared out the window with a grin. In spite of what Jim had been told, Sora was sure that the legend of Flint's trove was indeed true. Every legend held _some_ truth within itself…

After all, he was living proof.

* * *

So...much longer this time. XD And here are a few quick profiles.

**Jim Hawkins** – A down-on-his-luck delinquent, yet a brilliant mechanic, Jim rescued Sora from an abandoned mining site. While he loves nothing more than to go solar surfing in his spare time, he has a knack for getting into trouble often and holds a long lasting guilt from the time his father left him at a young age.

**Sarah Hawkins** – Jim's mother and the owner of the Benbow Inn. Struggling to keep the inn running on top of raising a rebellious teenaged boy is plenty of stress for her, and she barely manages as it is. She is often exhausted, but she manages to keep her spirits up for the most part, and is good friends with Dr. Doppler.

**Dr. Delbert Doppler** – An old friend of the Hawkins family, Delbert Doppler is a wealthy astronomer and longs for an adventure outside the pages of a book. Although he is clumsy and indecisive, often slipping in his speech, he is quite a kind-hearted fellow and often visits the Benbow for a bowl of Alponian Chowder and a quiet conversation with Sarah.


	3. Empty Ships and Empty Hopes

Here's chapter three! I'm going to be gone for a week after today, so I hope this'll tide you people over until then!

**In Another Galaxy**

**By FlikFreak**

**Part Three: Empty Ships and Empty Hopes**

* * *

Sora woke up with the all-too-familiar question of 'where am I?' stuck in his head…_again_. He had grown so used to it that new surroundings rarely surprised him, but at times he was still awed by what he saw, and the sensation of not knowing still hung in the air around him in a new place.

As he looked around, he caught the form of Jim Hawkins sleeping belly-down on his bed, the covers in a mess, his head only half-way on the pillow, his eyes squeezed shut. In his hand was the old book from the night before, _The Loot Of A Thousand Worlds._

Then it came back to him. Donald had driven them clean past Radiant Garden and into another galaxy, and in the explosion of the engine room, Sora had fallen into the escape pod and crashed onto the planet Montressor…solo.

_Just my luck,_ came the very belated thought. Sora yawned, stretching and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Jim groaned in protest to something, kicking the sheets violently off of himself before sitting up. Sora smirked. "Good morning to you, too."

Jim stared blankly at Sora before the thoughts in his mind registered. "Morning," he mumbled awkwardly before sitting up and shoving his shoes onto his feet. Sora quickly noticed that Jim hadn't bothered changing, but didn't comment on it. After all, neither had he, though Sora didn't need to worry about such a thing thanks to the magic interwoven into the threads of his own attire.

After a short few minutes of silence, the two headed downstairs, where Jim went straight out the door without a word. Sora winced; the boy was obviously not the talkative type. Sarah was wiping down tables, and gave Sora a smile as he entered. "Ah, Sora. You're up early. Did Jim wake you up?"

"Nah," Sora replied, waving it off. "I'm used to waking up early, actually. That, or whenever something scared me awake at the dead of night."

Sarah winced. "That sounds rather harsh for someone your age to go through."

Deciding not to mention that he had slept for a year straight recently and that might have covered for his loss of rest, he shrugged. "I've been going like that for about two years. I dunno when I'll ever-"

Jim burst in the door, cutting off Sora where he spoke. "Mom! There's a crashed ship outside!"

"What?!" Mrs. Hawkins cried, rushing to the front door. Sora, hoping it was what he hoped it was, followed. "Is anyone in it?"

"I didn't check," Jim replied. "It looks like it landed sometime last night."

When Sora's eyes found the crash site, his heart nearly stopped. There, lying on one of the docks, was none other than the _Excalibur_. He shoved his way past the two and toward it. "Donald! Goofy! You guys in there?!"

There was no answer. Sora clambered on top of the front and peered into the window. Sure enough, the seats were empty. _That's impossible! If the ship is here, then where are they…?_

"That's your ship?" Jim said as he jogged forward.

Sora nodded, taking in the vessel's appearance. It was technically the same build as the old Kingdom model that he had started in, but it was slightly larger and on the inside were many, many improvements. Sora winced, however; the escape pod hatch was open, and he knew that it wouldn't be filled with the same object that it had once contained. He swallowed. "Yeah. Well…it _was_."

Sarah winced. "It doesn't look like any of the ships we get around here," she said. "Is there anyone inside?"

"No," Sora replied, sulking. "They probably managed to get off somewhere else before it crashed here. Hopefully when they get back we can fix it up. This sort of thing's happened before."

Jim lifted an eyebrow and walked forward. "Mind if I take a look?"

* * *

Fortunately for Sora, the _Excalibur_'s workings were just within Jim's self-taught knowledge of engineering and mechanics. He had helped Jim into the ship and brought him into the engine room, where the boy proceeded to examine the marred and nearly-demolished engines and other various devices. Finally, Jim stood back, appearing to come to a conclusion. "Oh, wow. I see your problem."

"Why isn't it working?" Sora asked.

"You've got about five loose cables and a melted energy core," he replied, wincing. "Your engines are completely beyond hope and…yep, your fuel tank has more leaks than the roof in my room does. I don't know what you went through to make it all the way to Montressor, but you're lucky you survived a crash in that escape pod. The way this ship looks you probably wouldn't have been knocked out, but I doubt this thing will ever fly again without getting at least a dozen replacement parts."

Sora winced. "Ouch."

"Looks like your communication system still works, though," Jim noted as he began to exit, Sora following closely. "But I don't recognize any of the coordinates or the contacts. They all seem to be out of range anyway, so it won't do you much good."

Sighing, Sora stared at the exterior of the ship. _What a mess…Chip and Dale will never let us hear the end of it._ "At least this means they're nearby."

Jim shrugged. "Maybe."

Promptly after the crash scene investigation, Jim had wandered off without a word and Sora was left at the Benbow with Sarah. Judging by how Jim's room looked, Sora had decided that the least he could do to repay Sarah's kindness would be to help around the inn. She seemed hesitant to let a guest help her, but his persistence eventually caused her to cave in, and he was allowed to wash dishes, take out the trash and mop the floor for the first time in over two years. The dirt and grime he had to deal with reminded him of how much he despised doing chores, but he did it without complaint. It was actually easier than before; lighting the lanterns with a low-scale fire spell saved him from having to use matches, and when Mrs. Hawkins wasn't looking he'd combine a blizzaga with firaga to create the water needed for mopping without having to go to the pump. It drained him mentally, however, and when Sarah pointed out that he was looking pale and dazed he went back to the old-fashioned method. There was, however, nothing he could do about her suspicious glances at his clothes; the fairies that had given them to him had placed various enchantments on them that kept them from damage, whether it was staining, ripping, tearing, fraying, or just about anything else. Eventually the woman must have decided that Sora was a bit more careful about his chores and stopped staring.

At around noon, the customers began arriving. After observing Sarah doing some table-waiting, Sora decided to help out as well. He got several stares from the diners that entered – one of the children made a very humorous comment about his clothing – but everyone was relatively friendly, and he was even able to speak with several of them. Many of the older folks commended Sora on being so kind and helping Sarah, while the children were content to marvel at his clothing and ask how he got his hair to look like that. He made sure to steer clear of Mrs. Dunwiddie, however, as she looked as cranky as ever.

Sora did, however, have a bit of trouble taking orders, and eventually just wrote down exactly what he heard and went straight to Sarah for help ("What the heck are Zorellian jelly worms?"). It was only when he went to the window table that anything remotely interesting happened. "Hi, can I take your…_Dr. Doppler_?"

The canine scholar glanced up from his book. "Hmm? Oh, Sora! It's nice to see you again! I take it your friends haven't arrived quite yet?"

"Not yet," Sora replied, shaking his head. "Their ship crash landed outside, but they weren't in it. Hopefully they're somewhere nearby."

Sarah made her way from the back room and quickly noticed the man sitting at his usual table. "Oh, Delbert. It's nice to see you!"

"Good afternoon, Sarah," Delbert greeted the woman. "I'll be having the usual today."

Nodding, Sarah scribbled down the order on her own notepad and took the menu from in front of the man, whom had been reading a book instead. "I'll have it out to you as soon as I can manage, Delbert. We're busier than normal today and even with Sora's help it's hard to keep up."

Delbert waved it off. "Oh, that's alright, Sarah. I don't grind – mind! Mind…"

Sora left the cooking to Sarah and took the rest of the orders from around the other tables. Eventually he did have a run-in with Mrs. Dunwiddie, whom was constantly needing a refill on purp juice, and contrary to what he had believed she wasn't as cranky as he thought she was…just very demanding.

It was roughly an hour later that Delbert finally got his order, but he didn't seem to mind. The book he was reading looked fascinating enough to keep him occupied.

In the early evening, Sora finally had a chance to eat a meal of his own. Sarah seemed guilty that he could only have some of the left over stew from the previous night, but Sora insisted. Along with chores, eating leftovers was something he hadn't done in a while, either. Delbert was fine with sharing a table with Sora again, as there were no other available seats. They were just beginning to discuss things when the door burst open. Sora looked up, expecting to see a customer, but instead saw what appeared to be two robotic policemen escorting a familiar face.

Sarah promptly dropped her armload of dishes to the floor, barely hearing them shatter. "_Jim_!?"

"Okay, thanks for the lift, guys!" Jim said cheerfully, walking forward.

"Not so fast," One of the policemen barked, holding the boy back with a firm hand on his shoulder and turning to Mrs. Hawkins. "We apprehended your son operating a solar vehicle in a restricted area."

The other policeman nodded in agreement. "Moving violation nine zero four, section fifteen, paragraph...um..." he hesitated.

"Six?" Jim supplied blandly. Sora had to force himself to keep his mouth from dropping open; Jim must have gone through this routine a _lot_.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

"As you are aware, ma'am," The cop continued, "This constitutes a violation of his probation."

Sarah sighed. "Yes, sir, I understand but couldn't we-"

Delbert cleared his throat. "Pardon me, officers," he began. "If I may interject here…I am the noted astrophysicist Dr. Delbert Doppler. Perhaps you have heard of me."

There was no response. Jim and Sarah both were giving Delbert nervous glances.

"No? Well, I have a clipping here-"

"Are you the boy's father?" One of the policemen asked.

"He's just an old friend of the family, sirs," Sarah explained. Delbert nodded in agreement.

"_BACK OFF SIR._"

"Thank you, Delbert," Sarah said less than kindly, her expression still anxious. "I'll handle this."

Delbert nodded nervously. "If you insist, Sarah…but don't _ever_ let me do that again."

Sora couldn't help but wince. He wasn't sure what the scholar had planned to do to help, but that had to be rough to handle. The policemen looked downright intimidating.

"Due to repeated violations of statute 15-C," The policemen continued, "We have impounded the vehicle. Any more mishaps will result in a one-way ticket to Juvenile Hall."

"Kiddie hoosegow."

"The slammo."

_They really don't have to explain it like that,_ Sora thought, taking a hesitant bite out of his lunch and barely noting that it didn't taste quite as good as it had earlier. _Just because he's in trouble with them doesn't mean he's an idiot._

"We understand," Sarah said, pulling Jim toward her and staring him directly in the eye as though talking to him now. "It _won't_ happen again."

Jim pressed his lip into a firm line and looked away, clearly disgruntled. He mumbled something under his breath.

"We see this type all the time, ma'am," the robots continued. Wrong choices. Dead-enders. _Losers_."

And immediately both Jim and Sora's heads snapped up angrily. _That's _way _too harsh!_ Sora cried out furiously in his mind, his eyes narrowing and his teeth clenced, but he held his tongue. Best not to interfere with authority, especially judging by how they reacted to Dr. Doppler just earlier.

"You take care, now." And with that, the policemen left.

With the interruption gone, Mrs. Hawkins gave a long sigh. "Jim, I've about had it with you," she said. "Do you _want_ to go to Juvenile Hall? Is that it?"

But Jim ignored her, gathering a few dishes and dumping some fish bones into a garbage bin. Sora bit his lip and chewed on a piece of meat in his stew, remaining silent. As much as he wanted to defend Jim, he knew this wasn't his place at the moment.

Sarah kept trying. "Jim…Jim, look at me. It's been hard enough keeping this place up by myself without-"

"It's not big deal, Mom," Jim interrupted. "There wasn't anyone around; those cops just won't get off my…"

Mrs. Hawkins gave her son a firm gaze and placed her hands on her hips. Defeated, Jim looked away and mumbled something under his breath. Sighing, the woman turned away. "Jim, I just don't want you to throw away your future." And with that she left, picking up a pitcher of purp juice and heading for Mrs. Dunwiddie's table.

Sora watched as Jim, faced darkened in hopelessness and guilt, shoved his way into the kitchen. Frowning, Sora finished his meal, the somber moment not leaving his mind.

* * *

Promptly after finishing his chores, Jim had made his way onto the roof and sat in solitude. When evening finally fell and the restaurant was closed, the air was silent and stiff. When the window nearby creaked open, he expected his mother to be checking on him, pestering him to go to bed or something similar, but instead he saw a mop of spiky brown hair and concerned blue eyes staring back at him. "Jim?"

"Hey, Sora," Jim mumbled.

Sora climbed near Jim with expertise. It was almost surprising; a boy that lanky couldn't possibly have that much athletic ability. When he finally sat, he stared at the sky, and Jim noticed something about the boy. It wasn't something he could see, it was more like he could _feel_ a difference around the boy. It sent a chill down his spine, and he stared up at the sky where Sora was looking. "What's wrong? Never seen the stars before?"

"Not like this," Sora admitted before changing the topic. "Jim…what happened down there…do you really get in trouble that often?"

Jim snorted, amused. "I go down there all the time. The cops just won't leave me alone. Done it ever since I was eight years old."

"Why then?"

"That's when my dad left." He knew he shouldn't have said it so casually, but he couldn't help it. He didn't particularly care, either. When Sora gave him a concerned look, however, he sighed. "I looked up to him a lot, and one day he just up and left. Since then the only thing I've _really_ been hanging onto is surfing and that old book."

Sora gave an understanding nod. "_The Loot of a Thousand Worlds_? That one?"

"Yep."

"You really think it exists, huh?"

Jim glanced at Sora. The boy had spoken conversationally, not doubtfully. "Yeah. Why, do _you_?"

Sora gave a knowing grin. "There's truth to _every_ legend, Jim. I'd know."

"What makes you say that?" Jim asked. "You run into a herd of unicorns or something?"

The brunette grinned, leaning back and cupping his head in his hands. "Well, I've heard plenty of stories while I've been traveling around. There was one I heard about the most…an old legend about the mysterious keyblade."

"Keyblade?" _That's about the weirdest name for something I've ever heard._

Sora nodded, continuing the story. "Well, it's a legendary, magical weapon that only someone with a strong heart can wield. It's got a mind of its own and chooses its master, and no one really knows what all power it has, other than it can lock and unlock _anything_."

Jim rested an arm on his knee, now fully curious. At least it got his mind off of the day's earlier mishap. "Like a master key?" He said.

"Yeah," Sora replied, "Only not just for a set of locks…it's for every single lock that exists." He looked at the sky. "They say that the wielder of the keyblade went from world to world, but while some people say he brought peace and happiness, other people say he brought chaos and destruction."

"Worlds?" Jim echoed. "You mean like planets?"

"Something like that," Sora said, shrugging. "One person told me that there were these dark monsters called the heartless. They feared the keyblade more than anything else because it was a weapon of light, so whenever the keyblade appeared, they would attack its master endlessly."

Jim stared at Sora blankly. "Why? Did they have a death wish?"

Sora shook his head. "No. The keyblade was their worst enemy, so they wanted to get rid of it, I guess."

_Hm. Makes sense._ "Is it real?"

"What, the keyblade?"

"Yeah."

"Of _course _it is!"

The answer startled Jim. It came quickly, without hesitation, and with a completely honest and excited tone. He couldn't help but blink. It was almost as though the spikey-haired foreigner was speaking from experience. He quirked an eyebrow in suspicion. "How do _you _know?"

Sora paused, leaning back a little and grinning knowingly. "…I've seen it."

Jim stared blankly at Sora for a moment. _I think that crash must have messed with his head. There's no way something like that could exist._

A loud smashing sound dragged Jim out of his thoughts. A moderately small ship, its engines smoking, soared past the inn and crashed into one of the available docks. Without thinking, Jim skidded down the side of his house and landed deftly on the ground, racing for the dock. Sora cried out in shock, following closely.

Smoke furled around the ship, and Jim could hardly see into the window. "Hey, mister!" He cried. "You okay in there?"

He was answered by a clawed hand pressing against the glass. He jumped back in shock just in time for the door to burst open, out of it falling a small chest and a cloaked, tortoise-esque alien. The old one coughed and hacked as the smoke billowed out of his ship. "You alright?" Jim asked.

"He's a-comin…" the stranger muttered, grabbing one side of Jim's jacket and pulling him forward roughly. "Can you hear…those gears and gyros…clickin' and whirrin' like the devil himse-" And he fell again, hacking and coughing.

Sora winced. "Sir, do you need help?" He offered, walking forward and holding out his hand.

"He's after me chest…" the turtle replied, reaching for the object in question. "That…fiendish cyborg…an' his band a' cuthroats…an' I was…chased by those _blasted creatures_…!"

Jim saw Sora's eyes widen and his right hand twitch very noticeably, but returned his attention to the old man as he continued. "But they'll have t' pry it…from ol' Billy Bones's cold, dead fingers before I…" And he fell again. It was like a cycle. The coughing only got worse.

Shaking himself out of the shock, Jim headed forward. "Here…give me your arm. Sora, can you get the other one? We need to get him to the inn."

Sora nodded, helping the man stand and bringing the chest with them. "Good lads, ye are," the stranger said.

"You're gonna be fine," Sora assured the man as rain began to fall from the sky and thunder lit up the storm clouds. "Just hang on."

Jim, while concerned with the man's safety, couldn't help but inwardly groan. _Oh, man…Mom's just going to _love_ this…_

* * *

For those of you wondering...this isn't just going to be the movie with Sora stuck into it like some people tend to do. I'll try to add my own twists here and there, so don't worry! (For example, Sora can't go without a surname forever, and what could those creatures following ol' Billy Bones be?)


	4. Legend's Proof

OHITHAR. Yes, it's another update, courtesy of yours truly, whom is back from Sakuracon! WOOT.

Enjoy.

**In Another Galaxy**

**By FlikFreak**

**Part Four: Legend's Proof**

* * *

The rain pattered against the window like a soft lullaby. Unwilling to further her already bad mood, Sarah flipped the blinds to simulate a far more pleasurable field of flowers outside instead. She fell into the chair nearby as Delbert was putting on his coat. "Thanks for listening, Delbert…it helps."

Delbert bit his lip and placed a comforting hand on Sarah's shoulder. "It's going to be okay," he said. "You'll see." He stood upright. "Besides, if Sora has to stay any longer, perhaps he'll help set Jim on a straighter path."

Sarah smiled weakly. "I'd be sad to see Sora go," she replied quietly. "He's been helping me out all day and never asks for a single thing in return. I don't know why, but…for some reason everything just seems _better_ with him around. I guess it's because he smiles so much."

"He is rather cheerful," Delbert commented. "He's been separated from his friends, he hasn't been to his home or to proper civilization for two years…it's a wonder that boy keeps a smile on his face." He paused, glancing around the room. "Just where did he go off to, anyway?"

Sarah glanced at the staircase. "He went up on the roof to see Jim about ten minutes ago," She explained. "I think he said he was worried about him."

Delbert nodded thoughtfully. "At least Jim has someone to talk to."

Sighing, Sarah pulled out a small locket. "I keep dreaming one day I'll open that door, and he'll be just the way he was…that smiling, happy little boy holding a new pet and begging me to let him keep it."

* * *

"Almost there," Jim said over the rain. "You're going to be okay, mister."

Sora wasn't so sure. The man was in bad shape; he wouldn't last much longer. The least he could do would be to bring him inside and out of the rain, but beyond that he wasn't sure. _I could heal him,_ he thought bitterly, _But even if it did help…I'd be meddling. I can't interfere…_

They didn't even have to push open the door. Delbert Doppler was just on his way out when they reached the doorstep, and the scholar didn't hesitate to gasp in shock. Sarah, whom had been sitting at the table near the window, cried out in astonishment. "James Pleiades Hawkins, what is-"

"Mom, he's hurt!" Jim interrupted.

Sarah rushed forward, and Delbert abandoned his trip home out of concern for the stranger. Sora bit his lip and examined the man closely. His wounds were too deep; he wouldn't last much longer at this rate. _Why,_ he silently pleaded. _Why can't I…_

The old alien coughed hoarsely and reached for the chest that had also been dragged in. "Me chest, lad…"

Sora glanced toward the article in question and moved it closer to the man. It was surprisingly light for something so large. The dying man tapped the combination lock buttons a few times and the top hissed open. "He'll be comin' soon," he wheezed as he pulled a round object hastily wrapped in cloth from inside. "I can't let them find this!"

"Who's coming?" Jim asked.

His response came immediately. The stranger grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him downward. "The cyborg!" Sora heard him reply, his voice quickly fading. "Beware…the cy…borg…"

With one last choked moan of pain, the wounded alien fell to the ground lifelessly, leaving Jim with the mysterious article in his hands. Sora shuddered as he felt the aura of the room darken. Sarah gave a silent gasp as she realized that the man would never again rise to his feet.

There was no time to mourn the man's passing away as a light filtered through the windows. Sora felt a familiar prickle up his spine and had half a mind to summon the keyblade, but he kept his fists closed. There was no use in calling forward a beacon to the heartless if there weren't any to begin with. He knew better than to endanger a place needlessly.

Suspicious, Jim crept forward and made a narrow opening in the blinds to peer through. Sora discretely found his own place to look outside, and what he saw wasn't what he liked. Along with several humanoid shapes, there were also familiar black creatures with those all-too-familiar beady yellow eyes that glowed like light bulbs…

"Heartless!" Sora gasped.

Jim's eyes widened, and judging by the expression on his face Sora assumed that he wasn't about to question that any further. Securely placing the round object in one of his jacket pockets, he spun around and grabbed his mother's arm. "Come on, we've gotta get out of here!"

Delbert was just peering out of the peephole of the door when a bright flash of violet light blasted through the door, scattering wood splinters everywhere. He quickly followed after the others. "I believe I'm with Jim on this one!" He cried.

Sora clenched his teeth. Between heartless and bandits, he didn't particularly feel like fighting…especially alone. He hesitated momentarily, just long enough for the familiar shadow heartless to catch sight of him. They lunged at the boy, and Sora kicked one of them off before slamming his back into the wall, getting rid of another. He was just about to call the keyblade when Jim called to him from up the stairs. Sora wasted no time in following.

"After him! _After him_!"

Sora and Jim frantically made their way to Delbert and Sarah, whom were in the window and poised to leap into a carriage below. Jim shoved them out before the pirates could reach, and Sora followed, utilizing his ability to glide as discretely as he could to land safely in the cramped foot space of the small carriage. Delbert wasted no time in urging his horse – or whatever it was – forward at a breakneck pace.

Sarah gave one long look back at the inn burning to the ground and shoved her face into her hands. Sora noticed Jim only giving her a sad glance before returning to the object he had been entrusted with.

Sora clenched his fists in anger.

* * *

Jim didn't know what to think. Yesterday, he found Sora in a ravine, unconscious from a crash in his escape pod. Today, he had been entrusted with a mysterious round object and was promptly ambushed by not only brigands, but monsters from a story that Sora had told. Sora didn't seem too happy to see them…in fact, he seemed as though he recognized them.

"Stupid shadows," he heard the boy mutter as they walked up to the front door of Delbert's manor. Jim began to ask him more, but Sora seemed too upset to delve further into the matter.

The living room was large, cluttered with mountains of books, and overall quite cozy. Sarah had been seated near the fireplace with a coat placed over her to keep her warm, and while Jim rejected the offer purely from depression, Sora rejected it for the odd explanation that he had been through worse. A knock on the front door caused Delbert to leave for a while, and Sora busied himself with a star-shaped keychain that he had pulled out of his pocket. Jim, on the other hand, fetched the sphere from its resting place on the table and unwrapped it, revealing a similarly shaped artifact riddled with circular and linear designs. _What is this thing?_ He wondered.

Delbert returned shortly. "I just spoke with the constabulary," he said. "Those dastardly pirates and their monster pets have vanished without a trace. I'm sorry, Sarah…I'm afraid the old Benbow Inn has burned to the ground."

A long, sorrowful silence followed Delbert's announcement, and Jim could see Sora's eyebrows furrowing. He made his way over to the boy, tossing the sphere. "It's not like it's your fault," he said.

Sora only shook his head. "I could have done something…"

"Like what?"

"I dunno. Fight, maybe."

"Against those heartless and the pirates?" Jim said, doubtful. "I'm pretty sure you could try, but I doubt you'd win."

The foreigner muttered something about world order and said nothing more on the subject.

Delbert, clearly upset about the silence, cleared his throat. "Certainly a lot of trouble over that odd little sphere…"

Jim's eyes traveled to the artifact in his hand, and he lazily prodded at a few of the circular shapes on it. Odd…whenever he prodded at them, they made a strange blipping sound. _Maybe it's some sort of mechanism?_ He wondered. There was another beep – one a bit louder than the rest, and he grinned. Experimentally, he began to push on one side…yep, it turned.

"What're you doing?" Sora asked, his previous disgruntlement having completely evaporated.

"Dunno," Jim replied. "I think it's some sort of container or something." Another twist and part of the object clicked. Maybe if he turned this part…

Another click, this one louder than the rest, and a loud whirr accompanied the sudden drain of light from the room as numerous glowing green particles flew from out of the sphere. _What the…_

Delbert gave an offhand yelp of protest before realizing what Jim had done. Sarah sat upright, nearly dropping her coat, and Sora jumped a bit at the sudden development. "What did you _do_?" Sora demanded, eyes wide and jaw gawking open.

"I opened it?" Jim replied, barely knowing what had happened himself.

The particles spread into a net shape around the room, filling the center with various sphere-like shapes. Delbert gave a small gasp of surprise. "It's a map!"

_A map?_ Jim echoed. _A map of what?_

"Look, this is us!" Delbert cried, pointing to one of the planets. "The planet Montressor!" He apparently pointed too close, and his finger made contact with the hologram, causing the map to surge in one direction. Planets and other spatial formations flew by. "That's the Magellanic Cloud! And…the Coral Galaxy! That's the Cygnus Cross...and that's the Kerian Abyss…"

"What is all this?" Sora asked offhand. "I know it's a map, but…what's it for?"

Sora soon found his answer when a lone green planet, circled by two rings, appeared, the other planets and formations nearby blinking out until it stood alone. Delbert's eyes widened. "Wait, what's…this is…it's…"

Jim felt that childish smile climbing up his face. "It's Treasure Planet!"

"Impossible!" Delbert exclaimed, his eyes wider than saucers. "Flint's Trove! The loot of a thousand worlds! Do you know what this _means_?!"

"It means that all that treasure…" Jim grinned and tossed the sphere in his hand. "…it's just one boat ride away."

"No _way_!" Sora cried, smiling brightly, both he and Jim ignoring Delbert's sudden rambling about the discovery. "That much treasure could buy _anything_!"

It was then that Jim felt an idea rising in his head. If he could buy anything, then maybe…of course. He closed the map, prompting a surprised cry from Delbert as the light returned to the room. "Mom, this is it! This is the answer to all our problems!"

Sarah's expression promptly went from awed to worried. "Jim, there is absolutely _no way_ I'm letting you-"

"But don't you remember?" Jim interrupted. "Those stories?"

"That's all they were, Jim! Stories!"

Jim shook his head. "They were more than stories, Mom! Sora says there's truth to every legend! And look, we found proof of this one!" He held the map forward to demonstrate. "Besides, with that treasure, we can rebuild the Benbow a hundred times over if we wanted to!"

"But this is…it's just…oh, for…" Sarah gave a long sigh. "Delbert, would you _please_ tell Jim how ridiculous this is?"

Delbert regained his composure and straightened his glasses. "It's _preposterous_, traversing the entire galaxy alone," he explained in a most formal and fatherly voice.

Sarah nodded, only worsening Jim's sulk. "Now, at last we hear some sense."

"Which is why I'm going with you."

"Delbert!?"

Jim didn't know whether to be shocked or overjoyed, but he was smiling anyway as Delbert rushed from table to table, scooping various things into a bag. "I'll use my savings to fund an expedition…commission a ship and hire a captain and crew…"

"You're not serious, are you?" Sarah asked.

It was perfectly clear, however, that the scholar was. "All my life I've been waiting for an opportunity like this and here it is, screaming!" He began to cheer for himself on the spot. "Go Delbert! Go Delbert! Go Del-"

"Okay, you're _both_ grounded!"

Nearby, Sora winced. "Wow, Jim…I don't think you're mom's too keen on this."

"She's not," Jim replied.

"But think about it," Sora said, grinning. "Remember what you said? And besides…earlier tonight she was going on about how she could barely manage. Maybe if you…"

Jim furrowed his eyebrows. Sora had a point. He turned to Sarah. "Mom…I know I've messed up a whole bunch in the past, and I know I've let you down…"

Sarah's gaze softened. "Jim…"

"But this is my chance to make it up to you," Jim continued. "I want to set things right."

Sora nodded. "Yeah. Come on, Mrs. Hawkins."

Delbert cleared his throat a little. "Sarah, may I see you for a moment?"

Nodding, the woman went with Delbert a few feet away and they began muttering. Jim and Sora exchanged glances. "You think she'll let me?"

"I think so," Sora replied. "With Dr. Doppler convincing her I don't see how she wouldn't."

Jim laughed humorlessly. "Would your parents let you do anything like this?"

Sora chuckled. "Of course not. But then again, I really didn't have any choice."

_He didn't…? But then why is he…_

Sarah turned back to Jim, interrupting his thoughts. "Jim…" She began, her eyes full of exhaustion. "…I just don't want to lose you. You're all I have left."

He smiled. "You won't, Mom. I'll make you proud. Promise."

Nodding, Sarah turned to the other boy in the room. "What'll you do, Sora?"

Sora bit his lip and looked at the floor for a moment before answering. "Well…I know my friends aren't on Montressor. Without the Excalibur they can't travel between planets, so…I guess I'll come along. Besides…my friends aren't the only things I'm looking for right now."

"Be careful," Sarah replied, smiling.

Delbert smiled hopefully. "Well, there we are then." He clapped his hands together and moved toward the window. "We'll begin preparations at once. Jim, Sora, soon we'll be off to the spaceport!"

* * *

Later that night, everyone was sleeping soundly in their given beds. Delbert had several guest rooms to offer, but even then most of them were crowded with books and other tools of astronomy. Sora ended up sharing a room with Jim, and once again allowed the boy to utilize the mattress for his resting needs.

"You sure about this?" Jim asked. "I mean, you don't even know where your friends are. And with those pirates and black monsters…well, it'll be pretty dangerous."

"I laugh in the face of danger," Sora jested. "To be honest, Jim, I've been through a lot worse than this. I'm lucky to be alive even now."

Jim laughed. "What kind of stuff _do_ you go through?"

Sora shrugged. "Well, I've done so much I don't really remember all of it…one time I was up against a thousand or so heartless at once."

"You're joking."

"Nope."

"I don't really see you as the fighting type, Sora…you really fought that many?"

"It's true. My friends would vouch for it if they were here."

"What'd you do, swing a sword at them?"

The thought of it made him laugh. Sora had tried holding an actual sword once, and it didn't work out quite that well. The keyblade was much lighter and easier to handle, probably because it had chosen him specifically and adjusted itself to suit him. "Well, not a sword, but something like it. I have it with me right now."

Jim snorted. "Where do you have it, your pocket? I haven't seen you with so much as a pocket knife since we first met. You sure you didn't lose it in the crash?"

"Nope. Still have it."

"Whatever," Jim mumbled, turning over in his bed. "You can show it to me tomorrow. G'night."

"'night," Sora replied as he placed his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling. _With any luck, I won't have to show you._

* * *

So, there's chapter four. Tune in next time for the long-awaited spaceport...and Sora's chosen surname. XD


	5. The R L S Legacy

**In Another Galaxy**

**By FlikFreak**

**Part Five: The R. L. S. Legacy**

* * *

The Crescentia Spaceport was _huge_. Sora hadn't seen anything that big since he'd laid eyes on Hollow Bastion. The ride over consisted of much face-and-window contact, and walking among the port itself was surreal. They had stopped a few times for directions (and once because Delbert let himself be pulled aside by a saleswoman, who sold him the most atrocious-looking suit Sora had ever seen). At long last, the three finally stopped at one of the docks, where Delbert proudly gestured to one of the ships. "There it is, boys! The R. L. S. Legacy!"

'Space ship' was a very, _very_ accurate way to describe the vessel. It looked like an old-fashioned wooden ship like the ones Sora had seen in Port Royal, aside from the fact that it was much slimmer than he had first imagined…plus the fact that it floated high in the air. It was beautiful.

"Whoa," Jim said.

Sora couldn't agree more.

Boarding the ship was an event in itself. Jim had failed to watch where he was going and ran right into a slug-like alien of sorts, whom wasted no time in protesting via an assortment of flatulent sounds. Fortunately, Dr. Doppler was fluent in 'Flatula,' and they were out of the mess faster than they had gotten into it.

The three immediately made for the higher deck, where a large and rock-like man stood barking orders to the crew. Sora swallowed nervously at the sight of him; this man was highly intimidating. _I'll have to keep from getting on his bad side._

Delbert, of course, wasted no time in introducing himself. "Good day, captain! Everything ship shape?"

The man nodded politely. "Ship shape it is, sir…but I'm not the captain."

"Oh? Then where…"

"The captain's aloft."

Sora's gaze drifted upward. A lean, slim figure reminiscent of a cat in both appearance and movement leapt down from the crow's nest to one of the wooden planks above, only to leap down nimbly in front of them. Sora, Jim, and Delbert (whose mask had closed on him again) had a simultaneous case of jaw-drop. _Whoa. Didn't see that coming._

The woman immediately crossed her arms. "Mister Arrow, I've checked this _miserable_ ship from stem to stern, and as _usual_…" Her tone changed immediately from scolding to adoration. "…it's spot-on. Can you get _nothing_ wrong?"

The man, apparently named Arrow, smiled and tilted his head. "You flatter me, Captain."

The Captain's gaze immediately averted to the newcomers. "Ah…Doctor Doppler, I presume?"

Delbert began to reply, but found it difficult to make himself clear behind his closed mask. His words became mumbles and blurred sounds. Grinning in amusement, the Captain rubbed her chin. "If I may, sir, these work so much better if they're…" She pulled at the wire in the front. "…right way up and…" She forced the wire into a socket in the back. "…plugged in! Lovely, there you go."

The scholar was not amused, forcing his helmet off and ripping the wire out. "If you don't mind, I can manage my own plugging!"

The woman ignored him and roughly shook his hand. "I'm Captain Amelia. Late of a few run-ins with the Protean Armada; nasty business, but I won't bore you with my scars. You've met my first already, Mr. Arrow. Sterling. Tough. Dependable. Honest. Brave. True."

If Arrow's face wasn't made of rock, Sora was sure he'd be blushing right now. "Please, captain!"

"Oh, shut up, Arrow; you know I don't mean a word of it." Amelia returned her attention to the newcomers. "And who might these two be?"

Doppler nodded eagerly. "Ah, yes. This lad here is Sora; very dependable young man in search of a few friends of his. He was helping to run an inn before he decided to come along."

"Sora…" Captain Amelia hesitated. "What's your surname, young man?"

The question startled Sora. Not only had he not thought of that, but he'd been away from home for so long that he didn't even remember if he _had_ a surname. Hastily, he searched his mind for the first thing that came to mind that he would recognize if someone called on him. "Roxas."

"Sora Roxas," The captain echoed, quirking an eyebrow. "Fascinating."

Part of Sora tried to burst out laughing, and it took more than a bit tongue to keep it from coming out. Even so he ended up grinning awkwardly.

The Captain turned to Jim. "And who is this?"

Delbert beamed with pride. "Ah, this is Jim Hawkins! Jim, you see, is the boy who found the treasu-"

Amelia leapt forward and clamped her hand around Delbert's mouth. "Doctor, _please_!" She hissed, glancing at the crew for a moment.

Several of the shipmates glared in their general direction and walked away uneasily. Sora shuddered; something about this seemed particularly fishy. Once the coast was clear, Amelia turned back to them. "I'd like a word with you in my stateroom."

* * *

A few minutes after their meeting the captain, they were already in trouble. Jim was partially not surprised; Doppler hadn't made a good first impression on his mother, either. A Captain, however, was an entirely different story.

Amelia closed the door, locked it, and sternly strode toward Doppler. "Doctor, to ramble and muse about a treasure map in front of this particular crew demonstrates a level of ineptitude that borders on the imbecilic…" Her scowl turned into a smile. "…and I mean that in a very caring way."

Delbert was not amused. "_Imbecilic_? That's madness; I'll have you know that-"

"May I see the map, please?"

Jim winced inwardly, suddenly having the spotlight. Delbert motioned encouragingly, but Sora gave a wary glance; apparently the foreign boy was just as suspicious as he was. Sighing in defeat when Delbert gave him a subtle warning glare, he tossed the map at Amelia. "Here."

The car-like woman caught the sphere deftly and examined it. "Hmm…fascinating." After a few seconds, she turned to a vault near the wall. "Mr. Hawkins, Mr. Roxas…" Sora repressed a snicker here. "…in the future, you both will address me as Captain, or Ma'am. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sora replied without hesitation, bowing politely.

Jim quirked an eyebrow at Sora's gesture; didn't they just do a normal salute or nod where he was from? A few moments of silence passed before Amelia glared at Jim for his lack of response. He sighed and nodded. "…yes, ma'am," he grumbled.

"That'll do," Amelia muttered, closing the vault. "Gentlemen, this must be kept under lock and key when not in use." She approached Doppler. "No one other than myself, Mr. Arrow or anyone temporarily appointed by us is permitted to handle it. We can't have the rest of the crew or any invading _monsters_ having a go at it if it's lying on the table for the entire galaxy to see…"

"Monsters?" Sora inquired.

Amelia gave Sora a quirked eyebrow. "I assume you've seen them around, then? Nasty little black things; they've been appearing quite a bit lately."

"Yes, ma'am."

"How much would you know about them?" Amelia asked.

It was at this question that Jim saw Sora hesitate firmly. He swallowed, his eyes wide in uncertainty. "Um…I've had to deal with them for about two years now, Captain. I can't say I know every last detail, but I'm a lot more familiar with them than most people around here."

The Captain showed a hint of respect. "How old are you, Mr. Roxas?"

Sora flinched at the mention of his last name, but answered anyway. "Um…fifteen, ma'am."

"Intelligence in people as young as you is hard to come by these days," Amelia commented. "Mr. Roxas, I'd appreciate if you came to my stateroom later on to inform me on what you know about these creatures. If any of them happen to attack our ship, I'd rather not lose any men."

Smiling brightly, Sora nodded again. "Sure."

Amelia smirked. "I like you," She said bluntly. "Not every day we come across young men such as yourself." She turned away. "As I have informed the crew previously, any sightings of these beasts should be immediately reported to either myself or Mr. Arrow. We cannot afford any casualties." She turned to Delbert. "And Doctor, with the most possible respect…_zip your howling screamer._"

Delbert's annoyed expression returned with a vengeance. "Captain, I assure you that-"

"Let me make this as monosyllabic for you as possible," Amelia continued, sitting down. "I. Don't. Much. Care. For. This. Crew. You've. Hired. They're…" She paused, glancing at Arrow. "How did I describe them, Mr. Arrow? I said something rather good this morning before coffee."

"A ludicrous parcel of driveling galoots, ma'am," Arrow replied.

Jim and Sora simultaneously winced and exchanged glances. Sora's expression spoke volumes of Jim's own current thoughts: _"I don't want to get on this woman's bad side."_

Amelia stood, interrupting Delbert's next protest. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I have a ship to launch. Mr. Arrow, please escourt these three down to the galley; Mr. Roxas and Mr. Hawkins will be working for our cook, Mr. Silver."

* * *

"Lucky you," Jim mumbled on his way down the stairs. "She's only known you for five seconds and you've already made a decent first impression."

Sora winced in disagreement. "I assure you, it doesn't always work that way."

Delbert was off in his own world. "That…_feline_! Whom does she think is working for whom?!"

Jim rolled his map. "Tell me about it! It's my map, and she has me off bussin' tables-"

"I'll not tolerate a cross word about our Captain!" Arrow bellowed. Sora started a bit; he had forgotten that the man was there. "There is no finer officer in this or any galaxy."

_I'll take you up on that challenge,_ Sora felt like saying.

Arrow looked up toward a room beyond the table-filled hall they were currently in and narrowed his gaze at a whistling figure hidden behind some steam. "Mister Silver!" He barked.

The man that glanced back at them was heavy-set and somewhat menacing, but his voice was entirely different. "Why, Mister Arrow, sir!" He replied, wiping his hands off on his apron. "Bringin' in such fine an' distinguished gents to grace my 'umble galley! 'ad I known, I'd've tucked in me shirt!"

As the stranger, Mr. Silver, stepped out from behind all of the steam in the kitchen, the rest of him became crystal clear: a mechanical arm, a peg-leg, and what appeared to be a mechanical eye. Next to him, Sora heard Jim gasp quietly. "A cyborg…"

Arrow's gaze softened. "May I introduce to you Dr. Doppler, our financier!"

Silver grinned, inspecting Delbert's suit with a red laser-like beam. "Love the' outfit, doc!"

"Th-thank you," Delbert replied. "Love the eye!"

Sora saw Jim's shoulders droop and his mouth twist awkwardly. _Delbert must not be that good at introductions…_

"These two are Sora Roxas and Jim Hawkins," Arrow continued.

"Nice t' meet yeh!" Silver greeted, holding out his mechanical hand, which unfortunately consisted mostly of knives and other cutting tools. Jim stared at it miffedly before the man realized his mistake and swapped out for a much more normal-looking hand. Sora stayed still as well, and eventually Silver retreated his hand and returned to his work. "Now don' be put off by this hunk a' hardware," he stated as he returned to his work, chopping up what appeared to be shrimp and dumping it in a large pot. "These gears took a while getting' used to, but they come in mighty handy. 'ere, 'ave a taste of me famous bonzabeast stew."

Sora, Jim and Delbert suddenly found bowls shoved into their hands. Delbert, being the dog that he was, lapped up the stew happily. "Hmm…delightfully tangy, yet robust," he commented.

"Old family recipe," Silver replied, and promptly an eyeball popped up in Delbert's stew. The canine scholar yelped in shock, only to have Silver pluck the offending object from the stew. "In fact, that was part of the old family!" He joked, popping it into his mouth and swallowing as he laughed. "I'm jus' kiddin', doc! I ain't nothin' if I'm not a kidder!"

_You must not be much else, then,_ Sora commented inwardly. _I don't like this guy much…_

Silver shot the boys a smile. "Go on, lads, 'ave a swing!"

Jim was about to when the spoon shifted, the end closing around the stew he would have eaten. Sora gazed wide-eyed at the new development, and promptly gave his own spoon a suspicious glance. "What the…"

The offending spoon Jim held suddenly shape-shifted into a floating pink blob, two beady eyes staring back at the young Hawkins boy. Silver smirked. "Morph! Ye jiggle-headed blob o' mischief! So _that's_ where you was hidin'!"

The blob proceeded to shift into a straw-shape and slurp up Jim's remaining stew, happily reverting to its blob form and belching contently.

"What is that thing?" Sora inquired, staring at it.

"What is that thing?" Morph echoed in a high-pitched whir.

"He's a morph," Silver explained as the little blob flew up to him and nuzzled his master on the cheek. "I rescued the little shape-shifter on Proteus One. 'e took a shine to me an' we've been together ever since."

Arrow glanced out the doorway above as a shout reached them. "We're about to get underway," he announced. "Would you care to observe the launch, doctor?"

"Would I?" Delbert echoed excitedly. "Does and active galactic nucleus have superluminal jets?"

There was an awkward silence.

"…I'll follow you."

Sora repressed a snicker, and Jim simply shook his head. As they began to start forward, however, Mr. Arrow stopped them. "Mister Roxas and Mister Hawkins will be staying here in your charge, Mr. Silver."

Silver, whom had been tasting his stew, did a spit-take. "Wh…what? Beggin' yer pardon, sir, but-"

"Captain's orders!" Arrow bellowed. "See to it that your cabin boys are kept busy."

There wasn't room to protest when Arrow and Doppler were out of sight. Silver crossed his arms. "So…Captain's put you two in my charge, eh?"

"Yeah," Sora mumbled. "I thought making a good first impression might change that."

Jim rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Silver shrugged, returning to his work. "Well, who be a 'umble cyborg to argue with th' captain?"

"I guess," Sora replied.

Jim remained silent, making his way to one of the barrels and pulling out a small purple fruit. "You know," he began, "These purps…they're a lot like the ones back home…on _Montressor._ Ever been there?"

"Can't say I have, Jimbo."

Sora backed away. "Jim, what're you getting at?" he whispered.

Jim, however, gave Sora a warning glare and shook his head. Sora hesitated. _What…what's he trying to do?_ The boy continued. "Really? Come to think of it, I met someone there who was looking for a cyborg buddy of his."

"Is that so?"

_Oh, I get it…_ Sora crossed his arms, nodding to Jim.

Jim nodded back and returned his attention to his conversation. "Yeah. What was that old salamander's name…you remember, Sora?"

"Bones," Sora said. "Billy Bones."

"Oh yeah," Jim replied. "Ever heard of him?"

"Bones?" Silver echoed. There was a very slight, very brief hint of surprise on his face before he covered it up. "Mm…ain't ringin' any bells. Musta been a diff'rent cyborg. There's a whole slew of cyborgs roamin' this port, you know."

Sora's eyes narrowed right when Jim's did. _I doubt that. I didn't see a single one…other than you._

"Could have fooled me," Jim continued. "There weren't that many when I was walking around. Then again, with those _monsters_ running around, I guess a lot of them are being more careful about traveling."

"So you've heard of 'em, too," Silver said in a tone that Sora could only discern as honesty. At least this man was clear in one area. "I've had my own troubles with 'em. Don't want anythin' to do with those things. I've heard even the pirates are tryin' to stay away from 'em."

_Okay, maybe not entirely clear in that area. Still, he doesn't seem to like them any more than we do._

There was a loud whistle and Arrow's voice filtered down from above: "All hands prepare to cast off!"

Silver smiled. "Ah, off with you two and enjoy the launch. There'll be plenty o' work waitin' for ye afterwards."

Jim gave one last glare to Silver and left, Sora following closely behind. Once they were out of earshot, he muttered to Sora, "I don't trust him."

"Neither do I," Sora agreed, "And we're stuck under his watch, too. I don't think this trip is going to be as smooth as we hoped…"

* * *

This chapter may have been awkward to write, but my gawd, Silver's dialogue is SO MUCH FUN to write :D

Also, yes, I decided to break the mold on Sora's last name, but for obviously stated reasons within the chapter XD

**Captain Amelia** – The captain of the _RLS Legacy_, Amelia is sharp-witted, clever, and has a personality that matches her feline appearance perfectly. Though she seems to have taken a good first impression with Sora, she isn't cutting him any slack.

**Mr. Arrow** – Amelia's loyal first mate, Mr. Arrow not only _looks _like a rock, but he's got a stone tough personality, too. In spite of his menacing appearance, he is generally polite when he isn't giving orders to the crew.

**John Silver** – A bear-like alien cyborg who joined the _Legacy_'s crew and works as the cook. Highly suspicious in Jim's books, and Sora doesn't trust him much, either. He seems friendly enough, and wants nothing to do with the heartless, but that doesn't mean he could be planning something...

**Morph** – A pink blob of playfulness, Morph is Silver's long-time companion. He's capable of shape-shifting, and tends to use it to cause mischeif and to mimic just about everything he sees. Morph is highly loyal to Silver, and more intelligent than he seems.


	6. Setting Sail

**In Another Galaxy**

**By FlikFreak**

**Part Six: Setting Sail**

* * *

Jim and Sora arrived on deck to find the rest of the crew running about, climbing up the rope ladders and loosing the sails. It took a bit of maneuvering to avoid some of the rushing crewmates (Sora ended up bumping into one, but fortunately he only got a glare in response). Mr. Arrow barked an order, and the sailcloth lit up in various hexagonal patterns that Jim recognized as being similar to the ones on his own Solar Sailer. Sora gawked at the display. "Wow…"

Several seconds later, Jim felt his feet leave the ground. His eyes widened and he glanced downward; the ship was high enough to be out of Crecentia's gravitational field. It was difficult to keep composure when he was weightless. Sora, on the other hand, seemed to be doing just fine.

"You seem used to this," Jim commented.

Sora shrugged. "Used to no gravity? You could say that."

Not five seconds later, artificial gravity was engaged (accompanied by a loud metal clang that Jim could only discern as Delbert's clumsiness). Jim was able to land without injury, on his feet with one hand near the ground in case he tripped, and Sora simply landed on his feet and stood right back up. With another command, the ship sped forward, accompanied by another crash (no doubt, it was Delbert again).

Both boys couldn't help but gawk when they saw their new surroundings. Countless candarian zapwings soared past the ship, later followed by numerous large, galactic orcas.

"It's beautiful," Sora breathed.

Jim only nodded.

Shortly after the orcas passed, an enormous nebula could be seen, and the sky was dotted with stars. This seemed to pull most of Sora's attention, not to Jim's surprise. Sora sighed. "If only Riku and Kairi could see this…"

"Who're they?" Jim asked.

"Some friends of mine from home," Sora replied as he climbed down from the rope ladder that they had been standing on. "Riku's kind of like our leader, and he's really good at sparring. Kairi, well…she's special."

"Special how?"

Sora began to answer when Silver's voice interrupted. "Jimbo! Sora!"

_Great, another question unanswered._ Regardless, both boys glanced up, Sora far more enthusiastically.

Silver grinned at them. "I got two friends I'd like yeh to meet."

"Really?" Sora exclaimed.

"Aye," Silver replied. "Say hello to Mister Mop…" He tossed a mop at Jim. "…and Missus Bucket!" Sora deftly caught a bucket in his hand. Silver chuckled merrily, but the boys scowled.

"I don't like his sense of humor," Sora grumbled.

"I don't like _him_," Jim replied.

* * *

Mr. Arrow tilted his hat politely. "My apologies for the delay, Captain; you wished to see me?"

"Yes," Amelia replied. "Did you receive the papers I requested before we took off?"

"I did," Arrow replied, handing Amelia a small folder of paper.

Accepting the offering greatly, Amelia flitting through the papers. Ever since she had first heard from Delbert Doppler about Sora, she had been suspicious. While the scholar was highly trustable – several in Montressor knew him and respected him highly in spite of his oddities – she couldn't help but notice that of all the information he gave about the two boys coming along on the trip, Sora Roxas remained a large enigma. Hardly anything about the boy was known aside from the fact that he was a foreigner. Out of the file, she pulled out the file Delbert had written to allow Sora to go on the voyage.

He had a first name, not a last. No listed hometown and no parents to speak of. In fact, the only things really known about Sora were his name, age, and gender. Amelia stared at the paper in front of her. Just who was this boy? She pressed her lips into a firm line. "Mister Arrow…"

"Yes, Captain?"

"I would like you to keep a close eye on Sora Roxas. While I find him entirely trustworthy, he has been keeping many secrets from everyone."

Arrow furrowed his eyebrows. "You mean Mister Roxas…?"

Amelia nodded. "In the papers Doppler gave us, he did not list Sora's surname. This boy is truly an enigma."

"I agree. I'll report anything suspicious."

"He isn't a bad seed, Arrow," Amelia noted. "I'm simply worried about him. If you learn anything new about him, please notify me right away."

"Yes, Captain."

* * *

Sora hadn't mopped since he was in the Benbow, and he only did it there because it was far more enjoyable to do (after all, it helped Sarah a great deal). Here he had to deal with people staring at him lowly. Jim was mumbling every few seconds on how much he hated cleaning, and the two eventually came to an agreement: swabbing sucked.

One of the larger crew members was passing by, and Sora couldn't help but stare. He was about to correct his mistake when he was noticed. The sailor growled at him. "Watch it, twerp."

_Yikes._ Sora wasted no time in getting back to mopping.

Jim gave a few nearby sailors a wary look. "I think I'm starting to see Amelia's point," he whispered. "These guys aren't exactly friendly."

"Think it's because we're swabbies?" Sora asked.

"No," Jim said, scowling. "They just seem a bit suspicious if you ask me…"

A few audible clicking and hissing sounds caught the boys' attention and they glanced up to see a spider-like crewman approaching from a rope ladder. Large, yellow eyes glared at them sternly. "Cabin boysss should learn to mind their own bussinessss."

"Why?" Jim replied. "You got something to hide, bright eyes?"

Sora's jaw nearly dropped. _He's got a lot of nerve, talking to someone that intimidating…_

The spider's eyes narrowed and he hissed in protest, grabbing the collar of Jim's shirt. "Maybe your earsss don't work ssso well…"

Jim jerked his head away, coughing. "Yeah, sure…too bad my _nose_ works just fine."

"Why you impudent little-!"

The spider slammed Jim up against one of the poles, and he dropped his broom entirely, forgetting the task at hand. Sora's eyes widened. _Geez! His mouth is going to get him killed!_ Without thinking and ignoring the rukus around him, Sora summoned the smallest of thunder spells that he could manage and sent it at the spider. "Let him go!"

Jumping at the shock of the thunder spell, the spider spun toward Sora and began to snap at him when his eyes widened. "You…!"

Sora kept his face stern, but inwardly he was surprised. _Wha…he recognizes me?_

The surprises hadn't ended yet. A familiar clamp closed around the spider's free claw and jerked it downward. On the other end of the clamp was none other than Silver. "Mister Scroop," He began, his mouth full of purp fruit. "Ever see what happens to a fewsh-picked purp…when you squeeze it real _hard_?!" He twisted the spider's claw backward, causing a shriek of protest.

Jim crumbled to the ground, gasping for breath. Sora was next to him in an instant. "You okay, Jim?"

"Yeah," Jim replied, rubbing his throat. "I'm…fine."

Mr. Arrow, whom had just emerged from the stateroom, did not look pleased with the scene. "What is all this?!" he bellowed.

The crew immediately lined up, and Jim made to do as well but was still staggering a bit. Sora winced and helped him to his feet, slipping in a cure spell and hoping it would go unnoticed. "C'mon, Jim."

"You know the rules," Arrow continued. "There will be no brawling on this ship. Anyone caught disobeying this rule will spend the remainder of the voyage confined in the brig." He paused, glaring at the spider. "Do I make myself clear, Mister Scroop?"

Scroop began to retort, but he hesitated, instead hissing, "…transparently, sir."

Nodding in approval, Arrow continued. "Mister Roxas."

Sora repressed a wince and stood. "Yes, sir."

"I would like to remind you that Captain Amelia would like a word with you when you have time."

The statement was soft, obviously not to be announced to everyone. Sora nodded. "Understood, sir." He glanced at Jim. "I think I'd better go ahead and do that before she gets impatient. I won't be long, promise."

For some odd reason, Jim didn't seem to want Sora to leave, whether it concerned his share of work or the fact that he had helped Scroop get off of him. He sighed and nodded. "Alright, go ahead. Don't worry, I'll save some of the deck for you."

"And where might ye be goin' so soon, Sora?"

Sora swallowed when he saw Silver staring down at him. "Um…Captain Amelia wanted to speak with me if I had time, sir. I didn't want to keep her waiting for too long, so-"

Silver crossed his arms. "I gave you two a job, and here ye are pickin' fights. If ye have time to do that, then ye have time to clean this deck spotless, and 'eaven help ye if I come back an' it's not done yet!" He turned to the little pink blob following him. "Morph, keep an eye on these two an' let me know if anythin' else happens." With that, Silver stalked off, leaving Morph to watch Jim and Sora closely.

Jim sighed. "Looks like seeing the Captain will have to wait, Sora."

"I was afraid of that," Sora moaned, picking up his mop and thrusting it into a water-filled bucket. "Well, back to work. The quicker we work, the faster this gets done."

* * *

Below deck, the crew had gathered and was chatting restlessly. Silver calmly strode down the stairs. "Well, now," he began. "We're all here then. If ye don't mind me speakin' plainly…" His cyborg hand shifted to a blade. "_Are ye all stark-ravin', totally blinkin' daft?!_ All that work to get us hired as an upstanding crew, and ye want to blow the whole mutiny before its time?!"

The crew cowered. All, that is, except one. Scroop hissed. "The boys were sssniffing about," he protested. "And one of them…"

"What of it?" Silver shot back. "We know that Jimbo's the one that found the map; quit repeatin' what we already know!"

"The other one. Sora Roxas."

Silver froze. "You notice somethin' about the spiky-haired lad?"

"He used sssomething on me earlier to get me away from Hawkins," Scroop replied. "And he was the one that fought those creatures…the creaturesss that _I_ called on to assist in our sssearch for the map."

"I told ye I want nothin' to do with those _blasted_ monsters," Silver replied. "No treasure is worth dealin' with the likes of them. Stick with the plan."

"And what of the boys?"

"Heh, heh…I'll run them both so ragged, they won't have time to _think_…"

* * *

Jim quirked an eyebrow at Morph, whom had shifted into a miniature version of his mop and was currently doing a merry little dance across the deck (mostly over his feet). Sora's own mopping had slowed, and he was staring at the sky. "So many stars…" he muttered.

"You talk about stars a lot," Jim observed half-heartedly.

Sora shrugged. "Where I used to live, we were pretty isolated, so we didn't know about other…planets. We were all alone. The legends all said that all of the stars in the sky were different worlds, so I always stared at them for a long time every night, wondering what was happening on other planets." The boy frowned, his eyes glazing over ever so slightly. "I never noticed it before, but… before I left my home, there were fewer and fewer stars in the sky as every night passed."

"It's natural for stars to go out," Jim mumbled.

Apparently not sharing the sentiment, Sora shook his head. "Not that. If the legends were true, then when the stars were going out, that meant that _entire worlds_ were vanishing…"

Jim gave Sora a curious look. The way he spoke, he believed _this_ legend, too. _Now that I think about it, Sora knows about a lot of legends._ "Just how many stories did you hear at your home?"

"Too many to count," Sora replied with a nostalgic smile. "There's tons of them that I never would have believed…but when I saw them with my own eyes, it was just…amazing." He rested one hand on his mop. "And if you think about it…that's kinda what we're doing right now, right?"

"I guess," Jim said, shoving his mop across the deck. "Could do without the spider psycho, though."

Morph, hearing this, flew up from the floor and shape-shifted into the familiar form of scroop. "Spider psycho! Spider psycho!" He chanted.

Sora grinned. "Hey, good one," he commented.

Jim shook his head. "Nah…a bit uglier, morph."

Morph let out a high-pitched bout of manic laughter and gave the goofiest imitation of Scroop's face that he could manage. Sora laughed. "Not bad!"

Moments later Silver headed up the stairs with a bowl of leftover food, preparing to dump it overboard. "Thank heavens for little miracles. Up here for an hour and the deck's still in one piece."

Jim's smile faded a little. "Silver…about earlier…"

Silver sighed. "Didn't yer paps ever teach ye to pick yer fights a bit more carefully?"

Sora shook his head. "I haven't seen my dad in two years," he replied, "And with those creatures running around everywhere, I've kind of been fighting anything that threatens me. I've never really thought about when I've met my match."

"Reckless talk comin' from a lad yer age," Silver commented. "What about you, Jimbo?"

Jim didn't reply, and returned to mopping. After a few moments, Silver quirked an eyebrow at him. "Yer pap not th' teachin' sort?"

"No," Jim grumbled. "He's more of the running off and never coming back sort."

Silver nodded slowly in understanding. "Ah…sorry lad. Didn't know."

But Jim scoffed. "Not a problem," he replied sarcastically. "I'm just fine."

"Is that so…?" Silver mumbled before grinning. "Well…since the Captain has put you two in my charge, I'm going to have to pound a few skills into those heads of yours to kep ye out of trouble."

"Who said we were…?" Jim began.

"From now on, I'm not lettin' ye out of me sight!"

"You can't be serious!" Sora cried.

"Ye won't so much as eat, sleep, or _scratch yer bum _without my seein' so!"

Sora's jaw dropped. "_What?!_" he exclaimed.

"Don't do me any favors!" Jim snapped.

"Oh, you can be sure of _that_, lads," Silver assured, a smug smirk on his lips as he laughed. "You can be sure of _that_."

* * *

Aaaaand here's chapter six. Hope you enjoyed, chapter seven soon!


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